SALE OF WEDDING KINGS

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21865, 19 August 1936, Page 16

SALE OF WEDDING KINGS

t- . ♦ * hospital Boards* r; PRACTICE t REPLY TO SUGGESTION BY I DR. M’MILLAN « ■ 111 ■ ■ . “The rule is that any effects—not anecessarily only wedding rings—of a who had died and leaves no "relatives are retained for a given length of time, and then, with the consent of the Minister for Health, are sold.” This was the reply of the secretary of the North Canterbury Hospital Board (Mr W. S. Wharton) when he was asked yesterday to comment on the 'suggestion, recently made in the House of Representatives by Dr. D. :,G. McMillan (Govt., Dunedin West) ithat hospital boards were removing .'.Wedding rings from the fingers .of idead persons before burial. Mr Wharton said that in addition to the consent of the Minister, hospital boards were bound to advertise. their intention to sell such articles. With very few exceptions the relatives of persons who had died in ‘hospital took charge ,of personal effects. Usually as soon as a patient was any effects such as jewellery were taken bv the sisters and . Landed over to the office staff, who ■issued a receipt for the articles. : When death occurred these articles Would be delivered to the relatives.. -Wedding rings were sometimes in-' eluded among such personal effects. Dr. McMillan’s suggestion was also referred to the chairman of the Auckland Hospital Board (the Rev. W. C. _Wood). He said that at the Auckland Hospital rings were often removed from patients’ fingers in their own in- ., terests, states a Press Association mesnsage. If an indigent woman died, without relatives, the practice was to . keep the ring for two years, so that it might be claimed by relatives. If no claim was made the ring, would be sold, and the money applied to the ; maintenance fund. “SHOULD BE IGNORED” STATEMENT CONSIDERED UNWARRANTED (samaa association txzjsokak.) _ OAMARU, August 18. _™r A. Mclnnes, at a meeting of the Waitaki Hospital Board this mornreferred to Dr. D. G. McMillan’s about the removal of the rings from patients who have a said he considered that - **4 been east on all hospital - T hwdP a Potest should be teeJPrime Minister. thev'f^w«K*^S^ ,ers of the board said * tee statement should but . Mr Mclnnes said that teould have.named the «»rd he had m mind. Rojhnan said he had board members during S r?* experience and conil te McMillan’s statement r.fM- unwarranted. ■ H- Colqujioun: Unwarranted as this board is concerned. (Mr W. Forrester) ; i* did not refer to the Waitaki j,igmtirffin»Tid inmto it. ' M Jmm*rnSUKmS&